Box or carton for displaying merchandise



R. L. GRAY.

BOX 0R CARTON FOR DISPLAYING MERCHANDISE.

APPLICATION HLED AUG-13, I918.

1 ,334, 932. Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

Suva M040 ROBERT L. GRAY.

$1 hi5 auto anew UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. GRAY, OI NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 ROSE LITHOGRAPHIG CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION 01 NEW YORK.

. BOX 0R CARTON FOR DISPLAYING MERCHANDISE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 13, 1918. Serial No. 249,748.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ROBERT L. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residin in Newark, in the county of Essex and tate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes or Cartons for Displaying Merchandise, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to an improvement in containers; particularly boxes or cartons to display merchandise to prospective customers.

An object of my invention is to provide a container embracing a body and a cover; the latter being so deslgned that it can be manipulated to set up the body at an incline on a supporting surface; the container also having means for enabling the cover, when the container is thus set up, to be secured to the body and firmly held in the most advantageous position.

' Other objects of my invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show the best form of my invention now known to me. This disclosure, how ever, is explanatory only, and I reserve the right to vary the construction actually illustrated, within the scope and spirit of my invention, to the full extent indicated by the general meanings of the terms in which the appended claim are expressed.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a box or carton can be made according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the oomplete box with the cover in closed position; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the containe-r set up to display the contents.

The same numerals of reference identify the same parts throughout.

For the blank shown in Fig. 1 I prefer to utilize cardboard; but obviously other material can be employed. Further, while my invention is set forth as produced from a blank in one piece, I may also make the container in several pieces, united by pasting or otherwise, as will be understood.

As illustrated, the blank includes a portion 1 for making the body of the container; and a portion for making the lid or cover 2. These two portions are marked oil from each other by a transverse crease or score line 3,

which provides a hinge, in effect; and enables the cover to close the box or open it. The portion 1 has a section 4 for making the bottom of the oontainer,.sections 5 with extensions 6 for the sides, and sections 7 with extensions 8 for the ends. Similar sections 5 with extensions 6 and a section 7 with extensions 8 are comprised in the portion making the cover 2; but the sides of the lid or cover are shorter than the sides of the body and begin at points a short distance from the score line 3.

The sections 5 of the body are marked off from the bottom 4 by longitudinal score lines 9, similar to the line 3; and other score lines 9'extend across the portion 1 to mark off the ends 7. Similar lines mark ofi' the extensions 6 and 8 from these sides 5 and ends 7. In the same way I mark off the sides 5 and end 7, with their extensions 6 and 8, of the lid or cover of the container.

To give the box its proper form the ends 7 of the portion 1 are bent up at a right angle to the bottom 1, and the extensions 8 of the ends are bent till the extensions of each end extend toward those of the other. Next the sides 5 are bent up, and their extensions 6 folded downward and inward over the ex-.

tensions 8. To hold the sides, I provide tabs Y 10 cut from the bottom 1. These tabs are pushed up slightly when the extensions 6 are folded down over the extensions 8, so that the extensions 6 can go down all the way to the bottom 1; when the tabs are released and made to abut against'the extensions 6, so as to prevent the extensions 6 from springing back out of place, and letting the ends 7 become loose. Thus the extensions 8 are gripped between the sides 5 and extensions 6; and the sides and the ends are thus held in the required relations. The end and sides of the cover are manipulated .in the same manner, and the cover can be opened by turning it about the line 3, or turned to close the body as indicated in Fi 2.

Other ways of causing the sides and ends of the body and the cover to engage each other can of course be adopted, but as an example the method just described will suiiice.

To set up the container, the cover is made so that it can be folded on a transverse line between its ends, as well as turned about the line 3. For this purpose the sides of the cover are not of the same len h as the cover; but extend from the free en of the cover to points at some distance from the score line 3, as above stated. At the points 1n questlon I provide a couple of short score lines 11, these lines extending inward along the top part of the cover a short distance. Between the inner ends of the lines 11, the top of the shown on Fig. 3. As indicated in that view,

the two sections of the cover can be folded along the lines 11, and turned about the line 3 into an upright position;-the longer section of the cover being thus turned down at the adjacent or rear end of the body; extending across this end and holding the body at an incline to the surface that supports the container. The shorter portion of the cover between the line 3 and the lines 11 and 12 will then constitute a panel to receive advertising matter; and the line 12 may be cut in such a way as to give the top of this panel above and between the lines 11 any fanciful or ornamental outline or configuration.

With the body at an incline, the longer section of the cover will be substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface. Hence this longer section will not be disposed fiat against the adjacent end 5 of the body, but will make contact therewith along the lower edge only. The two sections of the cover and the adjacent or rear end of the body will thus inclose a space having substantially the form indicated in Fig. 3; this space being three-cornered when the lower edge of the rear end of the body and the longer section of the cover are in actual contact. Such contact, however, is not necessary, as the longer section of the cover and the rear end of the body may be out of contact, and the container made to set up just as well.

When the body is at an incline, and the shorter section of the cover slants backward slightly, and the longer section of the cover is substantially perpendicular to the supporting surface, the container will be in the most advantageous position both to display the goods in it and to be prevented from falling or allowing the body to collapse or sink down flat on the supporting surface, due to the weight of the contents or to handling. To hold the cover and body firmly together .in these relative positions the container is provided with suitable means preferably in the form of tongues 13 in the longer section of the cover adapted to extend out from this section and be inserted into the rear end of the body at both sides thereof. These tongues are located near the score lines 11, being out free from the cover along their sides and at one end, and being hinged to the cover at their opposite ends. When the cover is closed, these tongues lie in the plane of the top part of the same, as in.Fig. 2; but when the container is set up, the tongues are pushed out by the operators fingers and inserted in between the sides 5 and the extensions 8 of the adjacent end 7 of the body. The tongues 13 will fit tightly enough into the body to afford the results aimed at.

The tongues 13 are cut and shaped in such a way that the lower edges of these tongues, when the container is set up, will make the same angle with the horizontal as the angle of incline of the body of the box. The upper edges will be parallel to the lower edges, not all the way from the ends of the tongues to the cover, but only as far as shoulders 14 at the hinged ends of the tongues. These shoulders make the tongues wider adjacent their hinged 'ends, so that they cannot be inserted into the body over their full lengths. Hence, when the shoulders reach the body, the tongues must stop. These tongues are an important feature of my invention because they insure correct perpendicular position for the longer section of the cover on the supporting surface when the container is set up to display the goods it is filled with. If the shoulders '14 were omitted, so that the tongues could be inserted into the ends of the sides of the body over the full lengths of their edges, the lower section of the cover could be disposed flat-against the rear end of the body; and in consequence, when the container is set up, both the body and the cover would be at an incline, and the body through handling by purchasers would often collapse. The proper use of the container would thus be interfered with and the eflieiency of the container reduced; especially when the container is set up by careless dealers. The shoulders 14, however, obviate the risk of any one setting up the container in the wrong manner.

It will be observed that, when the container is set up, the plane of the tongues 13 will be perpendicular to the plane of the supporting surface, the same as the longer section of the cover.

The container is intended for counters, windows, etc., in stores and other places, and is both simple and easy to operate, and makes the goods conspicuous and presents a very attractive general appearance.

Having described my invention, what I believe to be new and desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States is A container embracing a body with a cover hin ed thereto, the cover being adapted to be 'olded on a transverse line and be turned to enable the body to be set up on a supporting surface to display the contents, the cover having tongues at its sides to be bent away from the cover and inserted into the adjacent ends of the sides of the body, said tongues having shoulders to prevent the insertion of the full lengths of the tongues into the body, and provide a space between the folded cover and the adjacent end of the body, whereby the container may rest on said surface with the body at an incline and the section of the cover between said line and the free end of the cover firmly position with respect to said surface, the plane of said tongues also being perpendicular to said surface when inserted into said body.

ROBERT L. GRAY.

held in substantially perpendicular A 

